Grow Sugar Crystals for Rock Candy Edible Science

Absolutely sweet science! Grow sugar crystals and make homemade rock candy with this kitchen chemistry experiment the kids will love! Are your kids always in the kitchen looking for a snack? How about next time they are looking for a sweet treat, you add some fun learning to their snack request! Growing sugar crystals is fun chemistry experiment for kitchen science.

GROW SUGAR CRYSTALS FOR EDIBLE SCIENCE!

SWEET science is also INCREDIBLE edible science. Who doesn’t love science you can eat! Grow sugar crystals for tasty chemistry and the kids will have a blast learning all about crystals!

Crystal science has fascinated humans for thousands of years. Many of our precious gemstones are formations of crystal, formed similarly to other crystal science projects like our salt crystals and borax crystals.

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This sugar crystal science experiment is made using the same principles of saturation and making a saturate solution in which the crystals will form. This experiment is a fun way to teach kids about solutions, molecular bonds, patterns, and energy all from sugar and water!

The fact that you can eat these crystals when you are done growing them makes it even more fun!

WHAT IS CHEMISTRY?

Chemistry is all about the way different materials are put together, and how they are made up including atoms and molecules. It’s also how these materials act under different conditions. Chemistry is often a base for physics so you will see overlap!

What might you experiment with in chemistry? Classically we think of a mad scientist and lots of bubbling beakers, and yes there are reaction between bases and acids to enjoy! Also, chemistry involves matter, changes, solutions, and the list goes on and on.

We will be exploring simple chemistry you can do at home or in the classroom that isn’t too crazy, but is still lots of fun for kids! You can check out some more chemistry activities here.

GROWING SUGAR CRYSTALS SUPPLIES

Why do we call chemistry experiments like these kitchen science? Because all of the supplies needed come straight out of the kitchen. of course the kitchen is also the perfect place to set up this rock candy sugar crystal project.

Water

Sugar

Mason jars

String

Edible glitter

Food coloring

Straws

GROWING SUGAR CRYSTALS SCIENCE

Sugar crystals are formed as a result of a supersaturated solution.

In a saturated solution, the sugar molecules have a higher chance of bumping into one another because there is less space to move around. When this happens, the molecules start sticking together.

When you give the molecules something to cling too (in this case the string), they form into crystals faster. The more molecules bump into each other, the bigger the sugar crystals get. The bigger the crystals are, the more they pull other sugar molecules toward them, making even bigger crystals.

Molecules bind together following orderly and repetitive patterns, so eventually, you’re left with visible sugar crystal patterns in your jar.

HOW TO MAKE SUGAR CRYSTALS

The day before starting your sugar crystal experiment, your project cut a piece of string a little longer than your jars. Tie one end of the string to a straw. Tie a knot in the other end.

Get the strings wet and coat them in sugar. Let dry overnight.

GROWING SUGAR CRYSTALS DAY 2

Add four cups of sugar and one cup of water to a sauce pan and heat until boiling. Stir until the sugar is dissolved but be careful not to heat the sugar so much that it starts to turn into candy. Keep the temperature right at 210 degrees.

SUGAR CRYSTALS: DAY 8

Once the sugar crystals are as big as you want them, remove them from the sugar solution. Lay them on a paper towel or plate and let them dry for several hours.

When the sugar crystals are dry, inspect them with a magnifying glass or microscope. How are the crystals similar? How are they different? What can you see in the microscope and magnifying glass that you can’t see with your eyes?

Awesome, edible science is at your fingertips when you spend some time exploring science in the kitchen with your kids!